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With the owners ready to retire, S.A. Foster Lumber, Lincoln, Ne., decided early last year to sell off its six Foster Do it Centers in Nebraska and liquidate any it couldn’t find a buyer for.
In the end, they were unable to sell off just one location—Sidney, Ne., which closed Dec. 15 after a seven-week liquidation sale.
The Overton, Ne., branch was two months into its liquidation sale when longtime employee Tim Smith stepped in to purchase it Nov. 13, to preserve it for the community. Over the past 14 years, the semi-retired Smith has alternated between manager and assistant manager. Current manager Billi Huckins will stay on, under the abbreviated name Foster Lumber.
Weeks earlier, a local businessman purchased the Chappell, Ne., yard and renamed it Chappell Lumber.
On Nov. 4, Chicago Lumber Co., Omaha, Ne., purchased the Kearney, Ne., store to rebrand it as its seventh Century Lumber Center.
On Oct. 17, Heartland Lumber & Supply took over in Oshkosh, Ne. Last spring, new ownership purchased the Columbus, Ne., location and have been operating it as Great Plains Building Supply.
